4 Ingredient Chocolate Banana Cookies

I have been so incredibly busy lately.  It's been non stop action all day, every day.  But I'm not complaining.  It's been great to try new things and to work hard and push myself.  The only downside is not getting to spend as much time baking and working on this blog as I might have liked.

However,  not a lot of time in the kitchen means lots of super simple recipes!  Everyone likes those, right?

These cookies are crazy.  Crazy simple, crazy good, crazy fast.  You need bananas, cocoa powder, quick oats, baking soda and 15 minutes.  That's it!

Mix it all together in a big bowl, sneak a spoonful, and shape some cookies.  You may want to sneak multiple spoofuls, actually, because the batter tastes really good.  If you've got any batter left, then you can shape your cookies.

Soon after they're ready to eat!  Because of the super awesome ingredient list, these cookies can be eaten for breakfast, snacktime, or dessert.  They are so perfect for satisfying chocolate cravings in a healthy way.

Busy days?  Bring it on!  I've got Chocolate Banana Cookies to help me through.

Four Ingredient Chocolate Banana Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1/4 cup special dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix together oats, cocoa powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.  Place bananas in a small bowl and microwave for about 45 seconds, until soft and mushy.  Mash completely, and add the bananas to the large bowl.  Mix together until a batter forms.  Shape batter into cookie shaped patties and place on a lined baking sheet.  Bake for 6-10 minutes, until cookies are firm.  Let cool and then transfer to an airtight container.  Recipe makes about 10 thick cookies.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Chocolate Banana Cups

No Cauliflower Cookie Pie

I've been meaning to do this for a while now.

What, you ask?  Make my Chocolate Chip Banana Cookie Pie with no cauliflower, that's what!

I mean, the first version was absolutely amazing and all, but I know y'all aren't crazy like me and don't keep multiple bags of frozen cauliflower stocked in your freezer.  So, I decided to see if I could mantain the same great recipe while skipping the cauliflower.  You know, to make it easier on you guys.

And.... it worked!

Instead of using cauliflower I subbed in some applesauce, and I also sweetened the Cookie Pie with 1 whole banana and 1 tbsp of maple syrup.  That's right, no white sugar in this baby!  It's highly reccommended that you use chopped chocolate too, just because it's melty and yummy and awesome (but if you really want to you can use chocolate chips).

Oh yeah, and in case you didn't already guess, this thing is absolutely delicious.  Make.  It.  Now.

No Cauliflower Cookie Pie

• 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 ripe banana, peeled
• 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, melted (another oil is ok too)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9 in circular pan (and 8 in is OK too).  Combine all ingredients except chocolate in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until all ingredients are incorporated and a thick batter forms.  This may take a while, so stop the processor as necessary and scrape down the sides.  Once combined, add chocolate chips/chunks and process quickly just until the chocolate in incorporated.  Scoop batter into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and Cookie Pie has browned.  Cut into 8-12 slices and serve warm if possible.  It's delicious cold too.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Chocolate Chip Banana Cookie Pie (with cauliflower)

Lemony Edamame Hummus (Version 2)

This dish brings back memories.

Do you recognize it? 

I made something very similar about 6 months ago, when blogging was somewhat new to me.  If you go back to the post, you may notice that the plate and wooden backdrop are not things that are usually pictured on this blog.  This is because I made that recipe while on vacation in the little vacation house we have that only contains flowery pink dishes and worn out wooden tables for pictures (I actually LOVE that table though).

So yeah.  That's my story.  It makes me smile because that was when I was just getting into really making up recipes.  And I made that one up on my own, and it made me so happy.  And then I took whatever dishes I had lying around and took some pretty good pictures of it to boot.

Now, at a time where I feel I've grown a lot as a blogger, I present you version two of Edamame Hummus.

Here's whats different:

• Both chickpeas and edamame beans as the base
• No tahini
• Pictures taken at my actual house

Here's what's the same:

• The great lemony hummus flavor!

Lemony Edamame Hummus

• 1 1/2 cups shelled and cooked edamame beans
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• juice of 1 small lemon
• zest of  small lemon
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• optional: spices of choice to add some zing to the hummus (I like mine to just have lemon, but other people like more of a spice factor)

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.  Blend until all ingredients are incorporated and mixture has the texture of hummus.  You can make it as chunky or smooth as desired.  Transfer hummus to a container or serving dish and store in fridge until serving time.  Serve with chips, crackers, veggies, or on a sandwich.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Carrot Chickpea Hummus

Banana Soft Serve with Blueberry Chia Jam

... and a honey drizzle.

Whew!  Did you get through all that?

Despite the very long title, this is actually a super easy dish to prepare.  It's got only four natual ingredients and there is almost no hands on time.  This is also my Recipe ReDux recipe for this month.

The theme this month was to add some sort of seed to a dish that reflects the current season in the place you're living.  I thought this was a great oppurtunity to play around with some chia seeds.  I bought them a while back and so far I've only used them in two or three things.  It was time they get some use again!

The creaton of this dish was centered completely around the Chia Seed Jam I wanted to make.  I'd seen the concept all over, and I couldn't wait to try myself.  Guess what?  It worked perfectly!  With only blueberries and chia seeds I was able to make a thick jam.

I then swirled the jam into some banana soft serve.  I'm sure you've heard of this before, it's just frozen banana blended until they reach an ice cream like consistency.  My plan wasn't to reinvent the wheel with this dish, it was just to put together delicious flavors to create an awesome dish.  The whole thing was topped off with a quick drizzle of honey.  See?  Totally simple.

And that's not to mention, it was sooooooo good.

I served it up for Father's Day dessert, as it's the kind of dessert my dad loves, and every family member devoured it!  They couldn't believe there was no milk, and that only four ingredients were in the whole thing.

With the first day of summer officially being today (!!!), what better way to celebrate than with some completely clean ice cream?

Banana Soft Serve with Blueberry Chia Jam and Honey Drizzle

• 3 ripe bananas
• 3 cups frozen blueberries
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• honey

1. Peel and slice your bananas, put them in a plastic bag or container, and stick them in the freezer until they're frozen.
2. In a large saucepan, bring blueberries to a boil.  Once the juice starts to bubble, reduce heat and add chia seeds.  
3. Continue to cook, stirring often, until mixture has thickened to a jam-like consistency, about 15 minutes.  If desired, stir in a bit of honey.  Transfer jam to a container and place in fridge.  The longer you keep the jam in the fridge, this thicker it will become.
4. As close to serving time as possible, place frozen banana slices in the bowl of a food processor or high power blender.  Blend until mixture is smooth, and reaches an ice cream like consitency.
5. If you will be serving right away, scoop Banana Soft Serve into 3 or 4 bowls to be served.  If not, place in a a large container and freeze until serving time. Place soft serve in 3 or 4 bowls when time to seve.  This will make it a bit firmer, but it still tastes good. 
6. Take a dollop of Blueberry Jam and place it on top of the soft serve.  Swirl it in if desired.  Add a drizzle of honey and it's time to eat!

Notes:

• You will definitely have leftover jam.  Use it as you would any other jam.  If you like things pretty sweet, I reccommend topping it with a drizzle or two of honey as well
• This recipes makes enough for 3-4 people.  This is because it only uses 3 bananas.  To make more servings, simply freeze more bananas.  Easy peasy!
• To make this entire recipe vegan, simply replace the honey with agave.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Banana Split Bowl

Avocado Brownie Bites

I don't know of you've heard, but avocado is my new best friend.

They make everything (OK, maybe not everything) fudgier, creamier, and just all around better.

Yes, this even includes desserts.  So far I've only made frosting with avocado, but it turned out so amazing that I just had to try more.  And these Avocado Brownie Bites?  Absolutely amazing.

Let's talk about the fudge factor.

Ummm, it's awesome.  In my opinion, fudgy brownies top cakey brownies x1000.  So these extra fudgy brownies are sort of incredible.  The pictures do them no justice.

Looks like you'll just have to make them for yourself, won't you?

Avocado Brownie Bites

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 6 dates, pitted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup special dark cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in the bowl of a food processor.  Blend until everything is incorporated and a smooth batter has formed.  This may take a bit of time, and you will have to scrape down the sides of the processor as necessary.  Once a batter has formed, add chocolate chips and process quickly to combine.  Grease a mini muffin tin (or another pan of choice) and scoop a bit of dough into each cup.  Bake 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Baking time may vary depending on what pan you use.  Let cool and remove from pan.  Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

(Sorry for the slightly more spread out posts lately.  School got super busy these last few weeks!  Hopefully everything will be normal again in a week or two)

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Peanut Butter Honey Banana Boats

Row, row, row your Banana Boat, gently down the stream.  Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.

As it turns out, that song holds true for Banana Boats as well as actual ones.  With one of these Peanut Butter Honey Banana Boats on your plate, life seems to good to be true.  Probably because they taste way too good to be true.

So you may be wondering: How on earth do you make this thing called a Banana Boat?  It's actually quite simple.

First, grab a couple ripe bananas.  For this recipe we're using two.  However, you can modify the recipe to fit any crowd.

Now you're going to use a knife to gently make a slit the long way across the banana.  Pell apart the peel, and use a spoon to scoop out a bit of the banana to make a little gorge.  It sounds a bit complicated, but it's really not.

You probably saw this one coming.  Fill the gorge with round 1 tsp peanut butter and 1 tsp honey.  This is when things really get fun!  The honey combines with the banana and peanut butter to make everything super gooey and delicious.  And, as you must know, honey is amazing with peanut butter and banana.  In addition to that, it helps to sweeten the whole dish.

Idea:  For when you're entertaining, lay out a whole table of bananas, along with your desired filling (Peanut Butter and Honey in this recipe).  Let people fill them up themselves, and then cook them right then and there so they're still warm when it's time to eat.  Super easy and super fun!

At this point, you're less than 10 minutes away from the most delicious snack ever.  Hoooray!  Wrap each Banana individually in aluminum foil and throw it on the grill.  Grill on medium for 7-10 minutes, flipping halfway through.  You'll want to grill until they're nice and mushy.

After that, you get this:

It might not look so good, but I can tell you with complete honesty that these Banana Boats are ab-sol-lute-ly delicious.  Try them!!!

Peanut Butter Honey Banana Boats

• 2 ripe bananas
• about 2 tsp peanut butter
• about 2 tsp honey
• aluminum foil

Cut through the banana peel the long way.  Dig out a small bit of banana to create a small gorge. Fill the gorge with 1 tsp of peanut butter and 1 tsp honey.  Wrap each banana with aluminum foil.  Set the grill at medium, and grill each banana for 7-10 minutes, flipping halfway through.  Grill until the bananas are soft and mushy.  Unpeel aluminum foil and eat warm!  (For pictures on how to do the above steps, see the pictures above.)

Disclosure: By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by National Honey Board and am eligible to win  prizes associated with the contest. I received a gift card to offset the expense of my ingredients.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Peanut Butter Glazed Cookies

Crustless Lemon Honey Cheesecake

Here's the thing:

I don't like cheesecake.

Yep, I said it.  It's something about the cream cheese taste and how incredibly heavy the cake is.

The good thing is, I managed to fix everything I don't like in this Lemon Cheesecake which I love.  Now I'm a downright Cheesecake Lover!

This Lemon Honey Cheesecake is made primarily with 2% greek yogurt.  It's important to use the 2% so that your cheesecake comes out nice and creamy.  I also added cream cheese to the base of the cheesecake.

Next comes lemon juice and lemon zest.  This adds a huge pop of flavor.  Lemon is a must when it comes to summer flavors.  But, of course, lemon is very sour.  The cheesecake needed a sweetener, and I knew just what to use.

As you can see from the title of this post, honey was my preferred sweetener in this recipe.  This is because it pairs great with lemon and is a liquid, and will therefore blend well into the cheesecake filling.  Honey is a great substitution for any liquid sweetener.  I've found that it's sweeter than maple syrup, which definitely comes in handy when trying to limit sugar.

In addition to this, honey enhances the flavor of tons of ingredients.  In this recipe it works very nicely with the lemon.  I adore honey and lemon together!

So next time you're entertaining and want to blow your audience away with a healthy dessert, look no further than this Lemon Honey Cheesecake.  Yes, it is that good.

Crustless Lemon Honey Cheesecake

• 1 1/2 cups plain 2% greek yogurt (I don't recommend using fat free)
• 1 cup non fat cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp honey
• 3 egg whites (9 tbsp if using the kind in a carton)
• 1/4 cup arrowroot starch or cornstarch
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350F.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.  It will look thin and watery, but that's ok.  Pour mixture into a greased 8x8 circle pan (a springform is best).  Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Chill in fridge overnight, or for at least 8 hours.  After chilled, cut into slices and serve chilled.  Store leftovers in the fridge.

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted.  Things have been crazy busy over here.  Hopefully everything will be back on track soon.

In the meantime, enjoy this Lemon Cheesecake.  It is sooooo yummy.

Disclosure: By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by National Honey Board and am eligible to win  prizes associated with the contest. I received a gift card to offset the expense of my ingredients.

Revisited Recipe of the Day: 

Honey Banana Ginger Almond Butter

Chocolate Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal Bars

You should probably get excited...

Because that up there is not dessert, it's breakfast.

If you don't know that chocolate makes breakfast ten billion times better then you seriously need to read this blog more.  'Cause, really, chocolate works wonders in the mornings.

But you know what works ever more wonders?  Chocolate with Cookie Dough.  That can guarantee a good day.

With that concept in mind, I created a breakfast above all other breakfasts:

A Chocolate Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal Bar!

They're super easy, super delicious, and, believe it or not, healthy.

Chocolate Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal Bars

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup special dark cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 banana, mashed (you can't really taste it)
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1 2/3 cup milk or water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-4 tbsp maple syrup, taste to find desired amount
• 1/2 cup Healthy Cookie Dough, broken into small pieces
• Optional: A couple handfuls of Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 380F.  In a large bowl, mix together first three ingredients.  In another bowl, mash banana.  Add applsauce, milk/water, vanilla, and maple syrup to bowl with banana.  Mix in cookie dough and chocolate chips (if using).  Pour mixture (it will be watery and thin) into a greased 8x8 pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until mixture is firm.  Cut into squares (I cut it into 16).  Bars will keep in fridge for a few days, and can be frozen as well for longer.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Funfetti Baked Oatmeal Bars